The Dallas North Tollway Goes Green

The Dallas North Tollway Goes Green

You know you can expect reliable, convenient and smoother roads from NTTA – roads that are regularly maintained and are beautiful to drive on.

In addition to building additional lanes and reconfiguring access ramps, you may have seen crews doing other kinds of work along the Dallas North Tollway. They’ve been installing irrigation, placing rocks and planting trees and shrubs along the main lanes and slopes to the frontage road.

The landscaping isn’t just for looks – it’s part of NTTA’s commitment to being green.

“Using trees and shrubs helps with stabilizing soil and reducing slope erosion, absorbing air pollutants, and reducing carbon dioxide levels in the air,” he said. “Reducing the need for regular lawn mowing also provides a drastic reduction in emissions output, which also helps North Texas as we continue to work toward cleaner air.”

Lucido and his team are a picky bunch.

“The landscaping is something we start early in the design process, so we can incorporate native or adapted plants that will help with improving our air quality, as well as for wind and water erosion control,” he said. “We take steps to find the right plants early on.”

The compost and mulch used around these plants is locally sourced and is made from old Christmas trees, yard trimmings and other green waste collected in North Texas.

Native and adapted plants that don’t crave much water are the only plants chosen to adorn the green spaces alongside NTTA’s roads, including the Dallas North Tollway, President George Bush Turnpike, Sam Rayburn Tollway, Chisholm Trail Parkway and the soon-to-open 360 Tollway.

Those that made the cut for the tollway’s landscaping include Texas Sage, Red Yucca (a native from West Texas that can acclimate to our fickle North Texas weather), the Texas Red Bud, the Abelia (a cousin to the honeysuckle) and Savannah Holly trees.

To keep the plants looking their best even in Texas summers, NTTA uses a drip irrigation system that allows staff to see immediately if the flow changes due to a leak, so no water is wasted.

We know that many of the cities NTTA roads pass through are dedicated to landscaping and replanting, and we share those values.